Richard Burk has died at 70

[Gaybutton]

What happened to Richard is an unfortunate example of "life is not fair."

Richard's troubles began when he lost the Amor. After Street Life also failed, Richard went through a series of restaurant management positions. In not one, but two instances, he went two or three months without pay while his bosses kept making excuses and promising to pay him soon. I asked him why he's putting up with it. He said he has no choice. He was not in good financial shape and he said it isn't easy at his age and as a farang to find decent new employment.

One boss skipped out of Thailand without ever paying him, leaving him in serious financial difficulty. That boss, by the way, was actually out on bail involving another case. I don't remember whether the other boss eventually paid him or not, but that boss also left Thailand.

Richard was finally forced to sell his condo. He was fortunate in that the deal gave him a good amount of cash and the new owner allowed him to rent back the condo at a very reasonable price.

For awhile, Richard was seriously considering accepting a teaching position in China, where a mandatory retirement age would not have forced him out of work.

Richard's fortunes finally turned when he got the teaching position in Pattaya. After a long spell of financial hardship and depression, Richard found work that he truly enjoyed, paid him a decent living wage, and he was able to live a normal life again. He really was happy again, getting back on his feet again, and enjoying life again.

Then this happened. That is what makes his death much sadder for me. Just when after suffering so much stress and difficulty life was getting good for him again, it ended for him with this heart attack.

If that is not a perfect example of "Life is not fair," what is?

[DavidJarrett]

Yesterday I posted many photos of Richard Burk and his condo on Burk's Facebook page, which I photographed in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Strangely, even though he had over 300 Facebook "friends," no comments were made. Anyway, check out the photos. Some of them include him standing in front of Amor and Street Life == memories of better years.

[Gaybutton]

Yesterday I posted many photos of Richard Burk and his condo on Burk's Facebook page

If you post the URL to his Facebook page, maybe we could see them. I have no idea what his Facebook page URL is.

[travelerjim]

Yesterday I posted many photos of Richard Burk and his condo on Burk's Facebook page

David...
... I don't see the photos on his Facebook page
Tj

[travelerjim]

Richard Burk ... Linked in profile and resume
A truly wonderful friend and professional
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-burk-89874529/
RIP
Tj

[DavidJarrett]

I just went to his Facebook page and saw all of my multiple postings of photos.

[travelerjim]

I now see the photos on Richards Facebook page
Thank you David
Tj

[JohnBKK]

I was, and remain, so saddened to hear of Richard's passing. I was informed by email from a good friend in Pattaya just yesterday. By doing a search, I found this forum which confirmed the sad news.

Richard and I became friends in 1995-6 (I forget which) when I and my Thai partner - who is still my partner - had to seek out somewhere new and convenient to eat as Michael Burchill was closing down Cockpit Bar and the accompanying 'Le BIstro' or 'Le Bistro at Harrods' situated up a rickety staircase from the gogo bar.

Richard was a barrel of fun even back then. He appeared to act like the protege of Basil Fawlty in that he as the restaurant owner was always correct with the customer invariably wrong, even if it meant they would never return. Richard's Amor Restaurant menu was splendidly overblown by pairing every known piece of cooked meat with every sauce imaginable. But it worked. Even when his business partner Ralph ran off with all the money shortly after they took over the premises from the doomed Amor gogo bar, Richard kept going.

He certainly thrived (and eat more) during peak seasons and he loved talking to the many repeat customers he would get for the (always 2 sittings) of the Amor Christmas and New Year dinners.

Some of you will remember me. Tall-ish, British, blond-ish hair, with the same Thai forever. We always used to have dinner with Richard sat inside adjacent to the front windows when most of the other customers had moved on to more salubrious locations. In 2005, I was apppointed to a senior position and transferred from London to Bang Phli so was able to meet with Richard every Friday and Saturday night.

We got to know each other very well, corresponding by email/sms every day. Richard had many contacts but very few friends. He opened up to me about his finances and I was a little shocked to hear how bad a position Amor was in but agreed to bail him out a couple of times. Richard was a large personality in many senses, and I know he wouldn't mind me saying this, but a businessman he was not.

In 2007-8 (I forget exactly) I was working on my business acquiring local Thai businesses and as I had specialised valuation software, RIchard asked me if I could use my expertise and place a value on Amor. He said: 'It will probably be in the region of 15-16 million Baht'). When I told him I had come up with a figure of THB 800,000, or if someone offered him THB 500k he should 'take the money and run', he actually fell off his chair!

But sadly one week after that, Amor shut down. To be replaced of course by Street Life but his heart was never in it, although the (apologies Richard) god awful Amor carrot cake was still there on the menu.

We became family, sat in Amor late at night, me seeing how much I could drink, him regaling me with horror stories in the hospitality business; our conversation often punctuated by some of the most exuberant flambuoyant cuistomers you could only find in Pattaya, which just added more to the fun.

I went on to meet Richard at all his restaurant incarnations post-Amor, but sadly his business acumen had not increased one iota, and as one prior poster on this board said so well, he was often left in the lurch by those who never had any intention of paying him.

I sit here now, tears in my eyes, thinking of this poor old man, laying in a box somewhere in Pattaya. No-one to take care of his affairs or his funeral. He was so derided by so many. He had so little in terms of posessions but those who know him will remember the enormous Bhuddhist neckchain he used to wear, which he claimed was worth THB 300k. I wonder where this will go or sadly disappear to. What will happen to his personal effects? I could go on but what's the point?

Richard - you will be terribly missed. You made me laugh, night after night,week after week, year after year. And now you're making me cry.

[Gaybutton]

the (apologies Richard) god awful Amor carrot cake was still there on the menu.

To each his own. I liked his carrot cake very much and fortunately it is still available, along with a couple others of his dessert recipes. I forget who took over his recipe and supplies the desserts. I believe it might be Palm Grove, but his carrot cake is still available from the "Eat Me" refrigerator case at Food Mart and always quickly sells out. Whenever I stop in at Food Mart, if the carrot cake is available I always buy one. I believe the desserts are also available at other Pattaya locations, but I don't remember where.

Food Mart, not to be confused with the Family Mart convenience stores, is the grocery store located in Jomtien, where the Suvarnabhumi Airport buses depart and arrive.

I agree with you in that Richard was no businessman. He never did take kindly to criticism or suggestions. When someone criticized the food, Richard, rather than accepting it, instead would always lecture why the customer should have liked it. When it came to people giving him suggestions, again rather than accepting them, he would respond with reasons why his way was better. I believe his stubbornness was a major factor in the downfall of both Amor and Street Life.

What can I say? Richard was Richard. Despite a few shortcomings for many years both Richard and Amor were Boyztown icons.

[Undaunted]

Richard Burk had obviously made some very close friends as a couple of posts on this thread attest to, I am sure being his close friends they are presently in the process of sorting out his affairs and organizing his funeral.